Smith & Williamson Investment Management Ltd

Smith & Williamson is an independently-owned financial and professional services group, with 1450 staff across 12 principal offices in the UK and Ireland. We are a leading provider of discretionary investment management services to private clients, charities and corporates. Charity investment is a key business area within the firm.

Smith & Williamson is managed by our partners and staff, providing investment, accountancy, financial advisory and banking services across the UK and Ireland. We are one of the larger non-quoted private client wealth managers operating in the UK, with around £15bn of assets (31/03/2014) under management and advice.

Our investment management team takes great pride in providing traditional investment management services and developing close business relationships with our clients.

Our specialist Charities teams in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin and Glasgow are an integral part of our business and we manage over £1.3bn (as at 31/03/2014) in charity accounts.

Working with the firm’s private client teams, we currently look after a wide range of charitable interests and the needs of the professional trustee, and more than 500 charitable accounts for individuals and their families.

Our performance track record, as measured against the Asset Risk Consultants (ARC) Private Client Indices, shows that Smith & Williamson Investment Management has continued to deliver above average performance against the four main ARC risk categories over the last five years. Relative to our peer group, our investment process has resulted in consistent risk-adjusted returns. We have won a number of industry awards which endorse our performance track record.

Benefits To You

We adopt a personalised approach, which means the Charity’s investment manager is the Trustees’ main point of contact with sole responsibility for all decisions made on behalf of the Charity.

Through our rigorous and reasoned investment process we provide our investment managers with the guidance and tools needed to help meet the Trustees’ objectives. ,Adopting a pre-agreed asset allocation, we build a bespoke portfolio in accordance with investment objectives, requirements and approach to risk.

Understanding clearly what each client means by risk is a fundamental part of our investment process. We believe that managing risk is an integral part of portfolio construction and deserves the same consideration and commitment as fund management.

Using a centralised investment process often results in stifling talent. At Smith & Williamson we believe our collegiate investment approach nurtures and encourages talent to flourish.

We understand the additional requirements of professional trustees and offer a fully comprehensive and high standard of reporting and performance analysis. Your investment manager will attend Trustees’ meetings as and when required.

As a licensed bank, we are able to provide accounts in all major currencies and cheque book accounts in sterling. We provide the normal services of fixed interest deposits, electronic transfers, foreign exchange services and standing orders.

Investment Proposition

Every one of our clients receives a tailored approach, both in the delivery of broader investment advice they receive and in the day-to-day management of their individual assets.

Central to our philosophy is the principle that the construction of a portfolio should coherently address the mandate set out by the client. We work hard to ensure we have fully understood the Trustees’ objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, asset preferences and any requirements for the distribution of capital or income on an ongoing basis.

We have four distinct strands to our investment process. These consist of a monthly tactical asset allocation meeting; weekly investment meetings; daily morning meetings and stock and sector research.

However, we feel that the people who are best equipped to understand and reflect the Trustees’ individual requirements are the investment managers who deal with them on a day-to-day basis. Responsibility for the on-going decision-making, including suitability, remains with the investment manager.

Other services

In addition to investment management, Smith & Williamson has a wide variety of business services to assist individuals and organisations within the charity sector. If you would like HR consultancy advice or details on our audit, accounting, treasury or tax planning services, please visit www.smith.williamson.co.uk/charities

Contact us

If you would like to find out more about how Smith & Williamson can help you, we would be delighted to hear from you.